Feeling kinda uneasy after watching a lot of food porn at work today (don’t ask), so thought I would post my own version of food porn and also declare the hot new food trend of 2014 to be:

BRUSSELS SPROUTS!

Okay, so maybe I’m not he first person to declare this, but, I’ve seen this one coming forawhile now. Brussels Sprouts ARE THE NEW/OLD “IT” vegetable. (mark my flippin words)

Ingredients:

1 turn of peanut oil

Butter (optional)

1-2 crushed cloves of garlic

1 package of Brussels sprouts (ends cut off and cut in half)

Low sodium broth (< 300 mg per serving minimum!)

Himalayan Sea Salt (to taste)

Method:

Preheat pan to medium high heat

Pour one turn of peanut oil in the pan and allow to heat up to medium high heat (throw some H2O molecules in the pan to test for “hotness”), simultaneously throw garlic smashed into pan (remove within a minute of cooking to prevent spread of “bitter” flavor)

Place Brussels sprouts cut-side down onto heated pan

After halves are placed face down, pour a small amount of low sodium broth into pan, wait for “SIZZLE” and then lower heat and cover for 17 minutes over medium low heat.

Sprinkle some Himalayan sea salt to taste over sprouts

Enjoy!

Here’s the nutritional information for Brussels sprouts in case you are doubting the serious nutritional benefits from these MOFOs:

This article today on Reuter’s says that coffee is actually okay for diabetics. Not too long ago it was thought that coffee could be harmful to patients with diabetes. I personally remember modifying hospital menus so that coffee did not appear on the diabetic menus. It really is amazing how nutrition information changes, but, at least research is being done. As I am a big fan of coffee, I am glad to see it.

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – There’s reassuring news for coffee lovers with type 2 diabetes. Drinking even fairly high amounts of coffee does not raise the risk of developing heart diseases in diabetic men or increase their risk of dying early, according to a brief report in the medical journal Diabetes Care.

Although research involving people in the general population has suggested no harmful effects on the heart from drinking coffee, there’s been little information about any effect in people with diabetes, Dr. Rob M. van Dam and colleagues point out. Recently, however, there has been evidence suggesting that coffee consumption may impair diabetics’ ability to process glucose.

To look into this, van Dam, from the Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, and colleagues studied data on 3497 diabetic men who were followed from 1986 to 2004. None of them had cardiovascular disease at the outset, and they all completed several dietary questionnaires during follow-up.

The researchers found that consumption of coffee, even four or more cups per day, did not significantly increase the risk of heart disease or the odds of dying during the study period, compared with subjects who did not drink any coffee.

The same held true whether or not the subjects smoked and regardless of how long they had had diabetes.

“Our findings do not support the hypothesis that habitual caffeinated coffee consumption increases risk of cardiovascular events or mortality among individuals with type 2 diabetes,” the authors conclude.

If you have noticed any of these symptoms, and any of these risk factors:

Age greater than 45 years

Diabetes during a previous pregnancy

Excess body weight (especially around the waist)

Family history of diabetes

Given birth to a baby weighing more than 9 pounds

HDL cholesterol under 35

High blood levels of triglycerides, a type of fat molecule (250 mg/dL or more)

High blood pressure (greater than or equal to 140/90 mmHg)

Impaired glucose tolerance

Low activity level

Poor diet

Persons from certain ethnic groups, including African Americans, Hispanic Americans, and Native Americans, all have high rates of diabetes

Everyone over 45 should have their blood glucose checked at least every 3 years. Regular testing of random blood glucose should begin at a younger age, and be performed more often if you are at higher risk for diabetes. (American Diabetes Association, Medline Plus Medical Encyclopedia: Diabetes Risk Factors.)

While diabetes may be a scary disease, often it can be managed by diet and exercise.

Some basic diet tips for people with diabetes:

Lose weight if you are overweight

Exercise to promote or maintain weight loss, helps muscles become more sensitive to insulin

Fortunately, the diabetic diet is a healthy diet for all people, so it can be followed by all members of one’s family.

Charisse McElwaine MS, RD, CDN

I am a registered dietitian (RD) and a certified dietitian nutritionist (CDN) with a Master’s degree in Clinical Nutrition from New York University.
I’m also a self-professed food geek with a keen interest in providing the most honest and factual information about diet and nutrition that I can.
This blog features lots of my recipe “experiments.” My attempts at making healthy versions of foods that might be traditionally high in fat or calories.
I'm also a big fan of fruits and vegetables and the various health benefits than can be achieved by consuming them.
Check back frequently for the most up to date information on health and nutrition.

Ask the Nutritionist

I am always looking for inspiration, so please email me your questions and I will be happy to feature them on Fashionably Healthy.
Email me your questions at: charisse@fashionablyhealthy.com

Been experimenting with using fruit in a savory way lately (especially if I let it sit around too long 😂) Chopped onions, vinegar and olive oil brought the kiwi and dragon fruit together beautifully. #Thanksgiving Filed under: cooking, Food, health, low calorie, vegetarian

Had a very good summer as far as tomatoes go, and find myself making this dish which I’d heard about but never actually made until I found a great recipe in a book by Sally Butcher called New Middle Eastern Street Food: Snacks, Comfort Food and Mezze. It’s basically a tomato and vegetable stew which […]

Still feeling like I need soups over salads while it has been chilly lately. Kinda burned out on stews and the slow cooker for awhile, but, the delicate Japanese broth known as miso has been so good for a quick meal. I’m not crazy about how salty the packets are, but, you can always dilute […]

I don’t usually pay much attention to the “Food Days” that come up, but, when I saw that today was National Popcorn Day, first thing I thought of was the Ethiopian coffee ceremony. I probably could come up with an excuse to talk about coffee any day of the week, but, this is a unique […]

That is the question. Well, not really, but I need a loose recipe goal in mind sometimes, so that’s where I’m at today. Found myself hungry, but also motivated…Leftover whole wheat couscous at my disposal, which in all honesty is dry as sh*t. Had a pretty good set of veggies also, so when all else […]

I made the fatal mistake of food shopping while hungry yesterday. I know toast is like “a thing” these days, but I did not know that cookie butter cream cheese was! Leave it to Trader Joe’s to come up with such a bad ass spread. You might be asking yourselves, is that even healthy? I’m […]

This is my set up for breakfast (when kids sleep late, so yeah, not that often.) You could always get the ingredients ready beforehand and have them available. Either way, just chop it all up and heat up a pan and you are ready to go. Here are my ingredients: Garlic Onions Chives Fresh […]

I got very inspired late last night reading a beautiful cookbook “The Food of Taiwan” by Cathy Erway. Since it was late and I probably shouldn’t have been eating OR cooking, I picked a pretty quick recipe, Noodles with Minced Pork and Fermented Bean Sauce. Most of the ingredients are common pantry items and things […]

I did a double take when I saw the name “sumo” as I was perusing the produce section of Whole Foods. Was this another crazy marketing ploy? First the “Paleo” section at the salad bar and now this! But it seems there is a type of mandarin orange called a Sumo Citrus. It looks a […]

I have to admit, I am not a huge carrot fan. I like them well enough, but, I don’t go out of my way to eat them regularly (I know deep in my soul this is probably a holdover from a long ago experiment with the Atkins diet, for shame!) They are a staple in […]